Monthly Archives: July 2016

This has been a really long week and I spent most of it in a deliriously tired state but with the downs, there are always ups on the other side — tonight’s plans involve plenty of packing for a trip to Vegas that’s mostly business (but with plenty of pleasure thrown in!) with my two BFF’s. Looking forward to the good times that await.

Yesterday, a few hours before Joey was supposed to board a flight, one of the main pipes in our house decided to break and after some frantic ticket re-booking and searching for ancient parts, things are okay…but it’s a reminder to expect the unexpected when you have an older house. They’re worth it for the charm though, right? Haha!

Rocky also hurt his foot and my poor little guy has been limping around. I stayed home from work today to give him extra cuddles and Chubs is sitting here next to us. Awww.

One fun thing that happened this week is that my brother found an 8 foot tall cactus on Craigslist and a sweet 85 year old woman had been growing it for 25 years! She’s transitioning into an assisted living home but I’m excited to keep this beautiful masterpiece going strong in her honor.

Images: 1. Longtime reader Jamie knows about my love for Michael Jackson and llamas and sent me this photo. Yesssss! 2. One of my new favorite Portland hangouts is Americano. It specializes in Italian coffee by morning and Italian drinks by night. 3. This is the Craigslist cactus that’s now in the corner of our living room — it’s a giant!

THE LINKS

• I didn’t know this existed! The New York Public Library has 9 librarians that serve as a human Google, answering totally random questions. Need to know the answer to the question “How many British monarchs have been left-handed?” They can help!

Domino is one of those magazines I’ve been a fan of from the first issue so when they cut back their publishing schedule a few years ago to quarterly, I was pretty disappointed. But, what I didn’t realize at the time was that each issue would be about double the thickness with content that went way deeper than the originals with even more pages of personal interviews and house tours.

If you’re not familiar with Domino, it’s a home and lifestyle magazine with an emphasis on being able to shop the issue. The sources are always clearly listed and they do curated picks from each issue that you can buy online. Here’s the Summer 2016 selection.

The cool thing about these quarterly issues is that they tend to follow a design theme throughout — this time, it’s all very airy with a ton of soft pink which thanks to Pantone, is right on trend.

This issue has some amazing wallpaper picks, a feature on neon signs, an editorial shoot focused on all pink foods (random but totally works — see the popsicle image), a feature on watercolor flower art and a lot of themed product roundups crammed into nearly 200 pages without an ounce of filler.

With the content bar set so high, I’m happy to only have 4 new issues a year. I wanted to scan another 20 or so pages to show you when I was at work last night…but I think these give you a good idea of how awesome the issue is. You can subscribe here.

As much as I love reading interiors blogs and scrolling through Pinterest, I find myself revisiting old issues of Domino again and again for new ideas as we remodel our house. Just last night, I found the most perfect wallpaper inside for our bathroom in-progess and I’ve never seen it anywhere else.

I don’t know how they’re able to source so many unique items that haven’t already been saturated with coverage…but whatever they’re doing, it’s working.

Pay it forward is defined as responding to a person’s kindness to oneself by being kind to someone else.

There are points in our creative careers when we need a helping hand — someone who is willing to reach out and make a connection that gives us a chance to take a much needed leap.

When I decided I wanted to be a graphic designer in my mid 20s, it was a bit overwhelming. Learning the skills needed to find a job in the industry was hard enough but perhaps more challenging was the fact that I didn’t have a single connection to make it happen. A decade later, I’m happily running my own studio but it was a battle to get here. Luckily, a few kind souls along the way believed in me and gave me a chance.

So that’s the topic of today: paying it forward and being genuinely helpful without expecting anything in return.

I’ve been thinking about this topic because I get emails from fresh design graduates all the time wanting to meet for coffee or do portfolio reviews. Though I can’t say yes to everything and am often traveling, I always try to respond and make the time whenever possible.

A few weeks back, I met a wonderful girl named Rose and as we were reviewing her portfolio, I mentioned that it was really important for me to get out and meet with new graduates because it was my small way of giving back.

The reason for this is because if it wasn’t for the four people below believing in me, I don’t know where my career would have ended up.

Here’s the backstory: when I decided to go back to school for the third time at 25 (yes, it took me awhile to figure out I should be a designer AND that it was a viable career), I knew that I wanted to work at a studio or agency within 2 years…but knew no one.

I got to work on making that happen but with rent to pay and full-time hours at a shoe store, I never had time to go out and make many connections. The one time I did was to a party at Nemo Design. I walked in and thought, “I want to work here.” Little did I know that a few years later, it would be my first design job.

ENCOUNTER #1: CHRIS

Chris ran my design program at Mt. Hood Community College and as our first year of classes came to an end, I told Chris I wanted to have an internship during my second year. “Where at?,” she asked, without missing a beat. “My dream would be Nemo Design.” She fired off an email to a former student who worked there a minute later and that eventually opened the door to my first interview.

ENCOUNTER #2: PADDY

I spent the summer of 2007 sending emails and walked into Nemo a few months later for an informational interview, my cheap plastic portfolio with just a year’s worth of projects pieced together. All the designers and art directors were busy so Paddy met with me instead. We hit it off because she liked that I enjoyed blogging and working in a variety of design styles. Thanks to her kindness, I started my first ever internship a few weeks later.

ENCOUNTER #3: DAN

When the economy tanked, design work was hard to come by but a chance meeting with Dan changed everything. He became my biggest cheerleader, sharing my work with studios around town and eventually got me a gig at Nike. One placement at a studio was supposed to last 3 days and ended up stretching on for over a year, giving me much needed stability. To this day, Dan and I still grab lunch and keep in touch — I know I can trust him, no matter what happens in my career.

ENCOUNTER #4: JULIE

Cinco Design was somewhere I’d always dreamed of working but it felt completely out of reach. Their work is so smart, sleek and polished. A day before I was supposed to sign a contract with another studio, Julie emailed me out of the blue. We’d met during an interview at another company years before and she asked if I wanted to stop by. At the end of that meeting, I had a job offer. Soon after, I started working on their branding team. I only had the chance to stay for a year and a half (Blogcademy took off and traveling kept me on the road) but I’ll never forget everything I learned during that time with Julie as my Creative Director.

A lot happened in between each encounter but these 4 meetings stand out as being the catalyst that helped me build a career. We’ve all had moments where someone believed in us when things felt impossible and their acts of kindness helped us reach our goals. The great thing is, as we reach new levels, we can each do the same.

How can you pay it forward?

• The next time you have an overflow of client inquiries, recommend a friend who needs some extra work for the job.

• The next time you hear of an opening where you work, think of the people you know who may be looking for a new job.

• The next time someone asks you to introduce them to someone you know, take the time to make it happen, right then and there.

• The next time you spot an opportunity on Twitter, Instagram or a blog, forward it to to the first person who comes to mind.

Acts of kindness don’t have to be massively time consuming — setting aside 10 minutes can literally change someone’s life.

THE WEEK

Happy Friday! This has been one of those weeks so I’m just trying to roll with it. I’m looking at my calendar wondering how it’s possibly Friday. I planned on having this post up a solid 8 hours ago but life happens and late is better than never…right?

The theme of this week has been all about reconnecting. I met up with my friend Erik on Monday and counting back, realized I’ve known him over half my life — we met when I was 16! It’s crazy to get to this age (34) where you can say you’ve had friends for that many years. I remember being 16 not so long ago! Ha!

My friend Pam also spent a day with me at the office and we laughed over past freelance horror stories (we used to work at a lot of studios together) and ended the day with a big batch of nachos at The Liquor Store (looooove this place). Then this morning, my friend Jessica and I had a big ol’ catch-up over Skype and chatted about her new business — isn’t it beautiful?!

I was honestly so busy catching up with people I adore and closing out as many projects as possible before leaving town (taking off to Vegas soon to start a new project) that I didn’t even think of picking up my camera…but aren’t those some of the best moments? Being too “in the moment” to even think of recording it? I kind of miss those days sometimes…because they used to happen much more often.

Anyway, I hope you have an amazing weekend. I’m going to be in the office working on branding for the Vegas project and it’s going to be nice to work on something more personal with less constraints. I find that those projects are always the hardest in a way, too….because anything is possible. Ah, the life of a designer. 😉

P.S. I found that man and woman statue at a vintage store called Lounge Lizard here in Portland and it was so random and funny that I had to have it! It was a bronze color but Joey just surprised me by spray painting it white. SO GOOD!

THE LINKS

• Sorry, not sorry: Lena Dunham talks about the apology addiction. I’m so guilty of this!

• I love this interview with Paul Jarvis, especially when he says, “I’m OK if people dislike me for who I am. I would rather be myself (and make some people upset) rather than try to be someone else, and still probably wind up making some people upset anyway!”

In my older, wiser age (ha!), I’ve gotten better at indulging in less impulse buys and focusing on unique basics I can get more wear out of. My mission this year has been to find more LBD’s. Little black dresses are great because they can be easily dressed up or down based on a few tweaks to jewelry, shoes and adding a jacket / cardigan.

One of my favorite recent finds was this number from Topshop. It reminds me a bit of an ice skating costume but I like the higher neckline, fitted waist and flippy hem. It’s a little daring for daytime but with a cropped bomber jacket over the top, (I wear this one from Zara constantly — and it’s on sale!) the look is a bit more subdued.

Because, you know, being subdued is something that totally comes naturally. 😉

I never get out to do much shopping anymore but when in Vegas….you know how things go. I found this dress at Topshop and the next day, I was on an afternoon adventure out to Red Rock Canyon with Gala and Kat, crammed into a tiny yellow Volkswagen I’d christened Limoncello with Made U Look.

We drove down a bunch of windy roads until we were about 45 minutes outside of the Las Vegas city limits and were met with the most beautiful, surreal landscape. Over the last few years, I’ve began to appreciate the outdoors and nature a whole lot more and this area is a must-see if you find yourself with an extra day in town.

If you’re looking for some LBD’s of your own, here are a few picks: 1. This criss-cross strap dress looks like a great pick for hitting some parties and clubs in Vegas. 2. I love wearing this dress for day since it can be dressed up or down easily and has a super relaxed, stretchy fit. 3. I wear this one constantly (as seen here) and it’s got a drapey, comfortable fit — plus it’s on sale! 4. This bodycon zipper dress is super simple and cute. 5. I love the workwear look of this dress and want to order it to layer over basic tees.

As the sun set, Kat, Gala and I struck a few more serious poses (it never ends!) and called it a day. Taking photos with Made U Look is always a highlight because they shoot with mostly film which has the most unique outcomes but also, they are the most down to earth, wonderful women that always capture the right moments at the right times (they also shot my 5 year anniversary photos!)

In near darkness, we packed up the car with our ridiculous looks and headed for dinner at PF Chang’s where we caught up on life and laughed over no less than 4 orders of shrimp dumplings. Because when in Vegas…over-indulge. Always.

Nice to meet you!

I'm Shauna, a graphic designer and entrepreneur. I spend my days as the Creative Director of Branch, a boutique design studio. This is my personal blog, which has been going strong since 2007. I'm obsessed with shoes, squirrels and traveling. Read more…

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